H.M.S. Pinafore

MITG&SP Archival Page

HMS Pinafore

Fall 1996

Produced by Kevin L. Coleman
Stage Directed by Joe Sweeney
Music Directed by Brian Koh

Performed in La Sala de Puerto Rico in the MIT Student Center
November 21, 22, and 23, 1996 at 8PM and November 23 at 2pm

"Let's give three cheers for the sailor's bride
Who casts all thought of rank aside --
Who gives up home and fortune too
For the honest love of a sailor true!"

Well, almost all thought of rank, anyway.

MITG&SP performed Gilbert and Sullivan's justly famed hit,
H.M.S. Pinafore, or The Lass that Loved a Sailor in the fall of
1996. As may be guessed from the subtitle, the story revolves around a romance
between Ralph Rackstraw, a humble sailor aboard Her Majesty's Ship Pinafore,
and the captain's lovely daughter, Josephine.

H.M.S. Pinafore competes with The Pirates of
Penzance and The Mikado for the title of Most Famous
Gilbert & Sullivan Show. Even if you are totally unfamiliar with Gilbert
and Sullivan, chances are that you will recognize some of the music (which has
been borrowed by such random shows as "The Simpsons" and
"Animaniacs") and perhaps some of the lyrics. Both are "light
and bright and sparkling" throughout.